1981
The year in music, movies, TV, fads & memories
In 1981, “Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes topped the Billboard year-end Hot 100 and Escape by Journey and Ghost in the Machine by The Police were on every turntable. Raiders of the Lost Ark, Stripes and On Golden Pond were in theaters, and Hill Street Blues, Dynasty and The Greatest American Hero were on TV.
The headlines: Reagan inaugurated; hostages freed. New that year: IBM PC launches (Aug). Fads of the year: Rubik's Cube peak and Pac-Man everything. Gas was $1.35 a gallon, a stamp was 18¢ → 20¢ and a movie ticket ran ~$2.78. On the shelf: a bag of Combos, an Orange Julius and a Rubik's Cube, with the Smurfs on Saturday morning.
🎂 What music raised you?
Drop your birthday and we'll rewind to your golden era — the years the songs imprinted for life.
🔙 Backtrack — 1981
The world around the music — what was on screen, and what was on the shelf.
🎬 Set the scene
1981. TV low. A Yoo-hoo. A Fruit Roll-Up. Outside, you'd spend your last quarter at the mall arcade.
📼 Saturday cartoons
📰 Headlines
- Reagan inaugurated; hostages freed
- Reagan shot, survives (Mar 30)
- Sandra Day O'Connor confirmed
- AIDS first reported (June)
- Royal wedding (Charles & Diana)
💡 Tech & Firsts
- IBM PC launches (Aug)
- MTV launches (Aug 1)
- Space Shuttle Columbia flies
- DeLorean DMC-12 debuts
- Donkey Kong arcade debut
🏆 Sports
- Dodgers win the World Series
- Celtics win the NBA title
- Raiders win Super Bowl XV
- Islanders win the Stanley Cup
- Leonard beats Hearns
🤪 Crazes & fads
- Rubik's Cube peak
- Pac-Man everything
- Smurfs cartoon craze
- Strawberry Shortcake dolls
- Jelly shoes
👖 Clothes
- Preppy Handbook style
- Members Only jackets
- Leg warmers (Fame)
- Skinny ties
- Izod Lacoste polos
💵 What it cost
- Gas: $1.35/gal
- Stamp: 18¢ → 20¢
- Movie ticket: ~$2.78
- New car avg: ~$8,900
- Median home: ~$66,000
🍬 On the shelf
Billboard Year-End Hot 100
📊 Full chart →- 1
Bette Davis EyesKim Carnes - 2
Endless LoveLionel Richie & Diana Ross - 3
LadyKenny Rogers - 4
(Just Like) Starting OverJohn Lennon - 5
Jessie's GirlRick Springfield - 6
CelebrationKool & The Gang - 7
Kiss On My ListDaryl Hall & John Oates - 8
I Love a Rainy NightEddie Rabbitt - 9
9 to 5Dolly Parton - 10
Keep On Loving YouREO Speedwagon - 11
![Theme from the Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not) [feat. Joey Scarbury & Larry Carlton] by Mike Post — cover art](https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music/fb/1a/5a/mzi.durzlqjj.jpg/176x176bb.jpg)
Theme from the Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not) [feat. Joey Scarbury & Larry Carlton]Mike Post - 12
Morning Train (Nine to Five)Sheena Easton - 13
Being With YouSmokey Robinson - 14
Queen of HeartsJuice Newton - 15
RaptureBlondie - 16
A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do)Ray Parker Jr. & Raydio - 17The Tide Is HighBlondie
- 18
Just the Two of Us (feat. Bill Withers)Grover Washington, Jr. - 19
Slow HandThe Pointer Sisters - 20
I Love YouClimax Blues Band - 21
WomanJohn Lennon - 22
SukiyakiA Taste of Honey - 23
The Winner Takes It AllABBA - 24
"Stars on 45" a - Side (Beatles Medley)Stars On 45 - 25
Angel of the MorningJuice Newton
More from 1981
🎤 Big in 1981
🎚️ 1981 genres
🎛️ Behind the boards & the pen — 1981
The hands behind 1981 — the producers and songwriters who actually shaped that year's records. Terry Brown was on 4 of them.
🎬 Movies of 1981
All soundtracks →The soundtracks that scored 1981 — every song and where it played.
🎚️ Related vibes
All themes →Themed rooms that lean on the sound of 1981.
🌀 Things 1981 remembers wrong
All Glitch Files →Mandela-effect cases that were on the shelf, the screen or the radio in 1981. Which do you remember?
What does 1981 remind you of?
The drive, the dance, the heartbreak, the summer. Add a memory of 1981.
Community Memories
How well do you remember 1981?
7 quick questions — the songs, the artists, the year. No cheating. 😏
📼 Take this tape with you
Build this in your own Spotify in two taps — free, no account needed here. (For Apple Music or YouTube, open songs one-by-one below.)
Then open the free helper
🎵 1981 albums on vinyl
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📻 80s gear
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